Mimoza Tafaj, the speaker and the announcer of TVSH!

Mimoza Tafaj
Speaker and announcer of TVSH!

Since the start of Albanian Public Television programs, in April 1960,  with the first announcer of this institution, Stoli Beli, on the small television screen, in every Albanian home, several charming ladies, brunettes and blondes, with a natural smile, a melodious voice, a characteristic attitude, with correct pronunciation, began to appear, just as they remained in the memory of the public of that time who followed them through their homes of every Albanian corner and who was lucky enough to own a television.

In the following years, the announcers would change, the ladies would follow one another, leaving behind the intro “Dear viewers, good evening, we are starting the broadcasts…”, which would remain special, unchanged throughout their existence in presenting TVSH programs.

Through the year, there is a long list of speakers and TVSH announcers, but in this modest article we will focus on Mrs. Mimoza Tafaj, one of the most charming girls of that time in this profession.

Born in 1957 in Tirana. Moza’s beginnings will be at the age of 17 in 1974, 14 years after the official start and establishment of TVSH, motivated to do an audition by a friend of hers, Violeta Hasani. It will not be long before Tafaj will start as a host and announcer of several instrumental concerts in the studio, exactly in March 1974.

Moza’s colleagues will be well-known names on TVSH such as Fatbardha Kraja, Zerina Kuke, Luljeta Noti. So alongside them, she will also begin her career as a live announcer on TVSH, appearing once or twice a week.

She herself has quoted that she felt lucky to work at the Albanian television institution, although it did not have a stable schedule. Tafaj has admitted that TVSH was like a second home for her and a staff consisting of young people of the same age who lived in harmony and taught each other.

Moza’s mother has always been the first critic and motivating person towards her. Every person represents themselves, especially for what appears on the screen, then the institution. These are the years without publicity and advertising like today, and a good word had value, it gave pleasure, will be the words of the anchorwoman later said in an interview.

Everything was on a weekly schedule, two/three times a week and each appearance on the screen had its own importance, especially the one before and after the 8:00 pm news, when she had to be precise, focused, and speak without mistakes, as it was the time of the television rush.

TVSH was the only screen in Albania and was followed massively. The speakers were known not only in Tirana, but throughout the country and they had become part of Albanian families. Whenever she noticed people looking at her on the street, she would ask herself “why are they looking at me, what’s wrong?”

During the presentation they would stand and have everything written down on paper. The camera flash would be turned on or the cameraman would signal with his hand “Start”.

The one that was influential enough, perhaps even to imitate them a little, was Italian television, RAI, a window in those years, where the shows, the Italian speakers, their news, everything, were carefully followed.

Her career at TVSH will extend to the period 1974-1999, whereby the end of this period she was also leading the news show. She was active as a speaker from the fall of 1974 until August 1985. She retired from television in 2014 and out of 40 years of work at TVSH, 25 years have been on the TV screen. During this period Mimoza Tafaj has also worked as an editor.

During these years, she also formulated the “Weekly Program”, a 30-minute show on Sundays. In 1986, started the one with music, which was very popular “From Song to Song”, designed according to the requests of the viewers and broadcasted on Monday evenings.

In 1979, Tafaj hosted the 18th Song Festival on Radio-Television, together with actor Piro Kita.

It is a profession with special characteristics, but the most important thing remains strength, the ability to be in tune with the audience, to create a “feeling”, a contact with eyes, transmitting and creating a rapport so that the audience becomes attached to your voice and face.

Making a slip of the tongue was normal, but it did not happen, since the announcers of that time were extremely careful. The phrases were set, you did not speak in your own words and you could not add anything else. The tension ended at dinner, when after the presentation of the next day’s program, with the words “… good night …” you greeted the viewers and quickly, together with the others, they went out and ran home.

Currently lives in Oregon, USA.

Exclusivity on this page is dated April 27, 2025
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Albanian Cinematography in activity since 2013